Pondering God 

Do you pay enough attention to your thought life? It’s hidden away from public view, but very influential in determining what we do and ultimately who we are. We are products of our thoughts. That’s why the Bible speaks a lot about guarding our thoughts. In Romans 12:2, we learn that we can be transformed by renewing our minds instead of conforming to the pattern of the world. Alert and sober minds help us set our hope on God’s grace (1 Peter 1:13, NIV). And Peter again said, sober minds help us pray and resist the devil (1 Peter 4:7; 5:8, NIV). 

Our thoughts are often influenced by circumstances around us. We tend to worry when we are in trouble and are contented, happy or even generous when life is good to us. There are times when we become more self-centred, perhaps even a tad selfish when life is really good. Do you know why David is often referred to as a man after God’s heart? It’s because God himself called him that (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22). He was not only seeking God’s will, but he was always thinking about God in good times and in bad. 

Listen to what he says in Psalm 132:3-4: “I will not go home; I will not let myself rest. I will not let my eyes sleep nor close my eyelids in slumber until I find a place to build a house for the LORD, a sanctuary for the Mighty One of Israel.” This happened after Saul’s death, and he was settled on the throne as God promised. He did not forget God. He said, “let us bring the ark of God back to us, for we did not inquire of it during the reign of Saul” (1 Chronicles 13:3, NIV). 

He then brought the ark of God into the city of David and pitched a tent for it there, but he was not satisfied that he lived in a palace, but the ark was in a tent: “After David was settled in his palace, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of the covenant of the LORD is under a tent”. (1 Chronicles 17:1, NIV). His thought led him to cast a vision for the building of the temple, which his son Solomon eventually built with all the materials and supplies David provided.

David ponders God all the time. The inclination of his heart was always towards God. How to please Him and how to thank Him. He thinks about His faithfulness and His steadfast love. When he sinned, he ran to God (Psalm 51); when he was victorious, he sang to God (Psalms 18 & 144).

You will all know the song “As a deer pants for the waters, so my soul longs after you.” That is Psalm 42, which most commentators ascribe to David.  Matthew Henry said in his commentary on this psalm: “The title does not tell us who was the penman of this psalm, but most probably it was David, and we may conjecture that it was penned by him at a time when, either by Saul's persecution or Absalom's rebellion, he was driven from the sanctuary and cut off from the privilege of waiting upon God in public ordinances. The strain of it is much the same with Psalm 63, and therefore we may presume it was penned by the same hand and upon the same or a similar occasion. In singing it, if we be either in outward affliction or in inward distress, we may accommodate to ourselves the melancholy expressions we find here; if not, we must, in singing them, sympathise with those whose case they speak too plainly, and thank God it is not our own case; but those passages in it which express and excite holy desires towards God, and dependence on him, we must earnestly endeavour to bring our minds up to.”

There are a lot of happenings around us vying for our attention, but let’s ponder God. Let our hearts be captivated by thoughts of His greatness. David said in Psalm 45, “My heart is inditing a good matter”. I like the way NLT puts it “Beautiful words stir my heart. I will recite a lovely poem about the king, for my tongue is like the pen of a skillful poet.” Let us be like David, let our heart muse and indite great and wonderful things He has done. 

When we ponder God, we will experience intimacy with Him. When we allow our hearts to be filled with thoughts of His glory and majesty, our hearts are bound to sing for joy of His great name. Whatever your current circumstances, when you ponder the greatness of God, in no time, you will see how small and fleeting your pain and sorrows are in this world. The more we ponder Him, the more of Him He will reveals to us. Pondering God leads to clarity, solutions and satisfaction.